2 Stroke engine repair can be accomplished once the severity of the problem or damage is assesed. As with all engines, they require two basic things to operate. First all engines require fuel. There are a few ways to check if the engine is getting fuel. Remove the spark plug and see if they are wet. If the spark plug is not wet, you can remove the float bowl to see if fuel is being delivered to it. If there is no fuel you can check the needle and seat of the carburetor, or the fuel pump. You can generally repair a sticking needle simply by moving the needle manually. If the 2 stroke engine is fuel injected you will need a fuel pressure gauge and will then need to attach it to the fuel rail. Check that the specified pressure is being reached. If not, the fuel pump is probably faulty. The next important thing to check is that the engine is producing spark.

If you have a lawnmower that is backfiring or pulling the pull start out of your hand, the flywheel key may be sheared. The key in a small engine mates the flywheel to the crankshaft in a certain spot. The flywheel can only fit one way or the timing will be incorrect. The flywheel key can be sheared if a heavy object was hit by the mower, such as a rock. With no key keeping the engine in the right place it will no longer run correctly.

If a cooling fan will not turn on as the temperature reaches 200 degrees F, the fan motor may need to be replaced. To remove the fan on a 1995 Cadillac STS, start by removing the front plastic guard. Many other cars cooling fans are almost identicle to this set up and can be repaired in the same way. The plastic “trees” that hold the guard on will often break, so beware.

The height of outboards in relationship with the bottom of the hull is very important. The higher or “drier” the motor is the faster the boat will go until it reaches the point of ventilation “pulling air into the propeller” which will instantly slow you down. Most motors will be set a little bit lower to take off best. The motor can be trimmed, meaning hydraulics will rotate the engine higher at an angle, this will speed you at higher speeds. This works unless the boat front starts to bounce or “porpose” then the motor trim will need to come back down a little bit. Idealy the motor will have a jacking plate that moves the engine straight up and down instead of on a pivot like the trim. The propeller is very important and has to match the motor and boat to obtain the best performance. A prop that limits the motor speed to max rpm at wide open throttle is ideal. Some people use different pitch props to gain acceleration or top speed. Two numbers describe prop pitch the first number tells the diameter of the prop and the second tells the pitch.

Small engines can be purchased for many self hobby types. Places like Northern Tool are great for small engines anywhere between one horsepower to 23 horsepower engines. These engines are purchased for many projects like water pumps, go carts, homemade generators, log splitters and various other projects. Pay attention to your project before purchasing an engine. Some projects require verticle shaft engines where others need horizontal shaft engines. The engine configuration generally will not interchange with the others. You will probably need accessories also to couple the engine to whatever drive system you use. Generally the same store, such as Northern Tools, will have sprockets, and drive shaft coupling parts to connect to whatever parts and components that need to be driven. If you plan to make a go cart briggs and stratton and tecumseh both have race cart series. It would make sense to use the same engine so that you have all the same aftermarket parts available to you. If you plan to build a generator make sure the engine has a good governing system to control the engine rpms. A generator engine should be run around 3600 rpms to keep the cycles at 60 hertz as regular ac power.

Two and four stroke outboards are more similar in terms of performance and efficiency than ever before. Four strokes have become far more lightweight with more power than before. Two strokes have become far more fuel efficient while keeping their excellent power to weight ratio. Some companies such as mercury marine have produced four stroke engines with supercharging and intercooling to increase power with minimal increase in weight. Many other companies such as johnson stand firm in the belief that two strokes are still the best engine configuration to use. Most companies still offer two strokes while newer models are four stroke. All outboard companies accept the fact that the four strokes weigh slightly more. Most consumers don’t seem to mind having a little extra weight for four stroke technology that is far more common in today’s engines. Unfortunately with lightweight four stroke technology comes a hefty price tag also. People that have businesses of chartering fishing trips or that log high amounts of hours on their engines may see an advantage using a slightly more fuel efficient motor. Most boaters will never see enough of an advantage to regain the cost difference of a four stroke engine or possibly even a direct injection two stroke. The alternative being fuel injected two strokes or possibly old model carbureted engines, which are considerably cheaper initially and possibly overall.

The basic outboard marine boat motor is of two stroke design. This is due to the weight of the motor being less. The power of a two stroke motor is also higher versus a comparable weight four stroke motor. As emissions became tighter direct injection two stroke engines have been produced. They still have low weight and alot of power but are very complex. Direct injection two stroke outboards are actually very clean motors and get excellent fuel economy similar to four strokes. As the technology of four strokes evolve, they have become much lighter and have flooded their way into the market. Although pricy four strokes are very popular and are getting closer to the weight and power of two strokes. Outboard motors started as two strokes with lower weight found on much smaller boats than boats produced today. Today it is not uncommon to see a 250 horsepower motor on the back of a bass boat! Many offshore boats may have twin 250 hp or 225 hp outboard motors on the back! Most mid sized ski boats generally use 115 or 150 horsepower outboards. Small john boats generally use 5,15 or 25 hp motors. Small skiffs use anything between 25, 40 and up to 115 hp outboards.